Hundreds attend New Paltz Bike Swap to donate, sell or buy a bicycle

At the annual event hosted by Fats in the Cats, people can buy and sell bikes. There were plenty of kids riding in the New Paltz High School parking lot on Saturday. Video by Jack Howland/Poughkeepsie Journal
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Moses Hunter, 9, stops to unwrap a piece of candy on Saturday. He found out this bike was free after riding it around the parking lot.(Photo: Jack Howland/Poughkeepsie Journal)Buy Photo

NEW PALTZ — The bicycle has nicer tires than those on his last one, rides smoother, stops quicker — and it was free.

Nine-year-old Moses Hunter didn’t know that part on Saturday when he climbed atop the black bike and rode it around the New Paltz High School parking lot, but a volunteer later informed him it was part of a small group of free donated bikes. His father, Tim, who bought one bike and dropped one off to sell, said, “He’s going to take this bike home ... which, for a parent, is like, ‘Thank you.’ ”

At the 11th annual New Paltz Bike Swap, people could take in their bikes to sell as well as buy a bike. But some were donated, too, and some were free.

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Doree Lipson, 5. stops for a moment atop her new bike. Her mother said her family has gotten all of their bikes at the New Paltz Bike Swap.(Photo: Jack Howland/Poughkeepsie Journal)

“This is compassionate capitalism,” said Tim Hunter, of Gardiner, who had two other young kids riding around the parking lot. “Kids get to use (a bike), and then they get to reuse them. It’s environmental, friendly.”

The purpose of the community event — and of Fats in the Cats Bicycle Club, the group that hosts it — is to get people of all ages and backgrounds riding on a proper bike.

Hundreds of people came out to the event amid light and sporadic rain, many of them wheeling in bikes or other biking equipment to donate or sell. Fats in the Cats volunteers were on hand to facilitate transactions and ensure bikes were safe, and were available for spot repairs, too.

The organization received 20 percent of individual sales at the event, and organizers were hoping to raise around $5,000 to support programs.

“It means we can put bikes in the hands of kids who might not be able to afford them,” said board member Christine Guarino of New Paltz.

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Beatrice Hunter, 8, pleads with her father to let her get a bike on Saturday. She rode on bikes with her two brothers.(Photo: Jack Howland/Poughkeepsie Journal)

Fats in the Cats President Samantha Langton, of Highland, said the group donates 30 to 40 bikes a year to underprivileged kids. Additionally, volunteers have periodic “trail work days” to clear trails in the region of any debris.

Five-year-old Doree Lipson, of New Paltz, was outgrowing her current bike and needed a new one. She took to a black and red bike, and began riding it around the puddle-filled parking lot.

“We’ve gotten all of our family bikes here,” said her mother, Naomi. “We’ve come every year for the last four or five years... It just feels like a lovely community event.”